In his first season of full-time rugby, Simon Hammersley says Newcastle Falcons can seize the day in the Premiership Rugby 7s.

Full-back Simon Hammersley is hoping his recently-gained economics degree can see Newcastle Falcons in the black.

The former Durham University student lines up tomorrow evening for the Falcons in the Premiership Rugby 7s at Darlington’s arena, having last season broken into the senior squad.

A youthful Newcastle side will play round-robin games with Leicester Tigers, London Welsh and Sale Sharks in the televised event, the top two qualifying for the Premiership Rugby 7s final at the Twickenham Stoop on Friday August 8.

“Last season I was part time with the Falcons while I finished mydegree, so it has been a tough old summer taking a full part in pre-season,” said Hammersley, who made his senior debut in the LV= Cup tie at Saracens.

“There is a much greater focus on things like nutrition and looking after yourself, which might not always come naturally with student life, but you have to have those things in place.”

Backing the Falcons to combine work ethic and creativity in Saturday’s sevens showcase, the 21-year-old said: “We are expecting to bring an attractive brand of rugby, and hoping to replicate last year’s success in the group stage.

“It is a chance for us young boys to go out and express ourselves, and we are going to go out and work hard for each other as well as hopefully playing some good rugby.”

Asked where the threats lie for Newcastle, he added: “We know where our strengths and weaknesses are, but we have some great players in the middle like Tom Catterick, Craig Willis and Andy Davies who can really pull the strings for us.

“We will look to bring a physical edge to that and use the speed of Sean Brown out wide, and while it might not be the kind of sevens everyone is used to I think the game is becoming more and more physical anyway.”

Having shifted the event 40 miles down the road due to delays in the installation of the Falcons’ synthetic field, Hammersley said: “Obviously it is a shame we can’t play on the new pitch at Kingston Park, but moving it down to Darlington is a good compromise because it is a fantastic facility they have there.

“It is an opportunity for the Falcons to spread the word about the club a little further south than perhaps they normally do, and it should be a great party atmosphere for the fans.”